Fight for Supremacy

Amin Ali, ET BureauNov 23, 2008, 12.34am IST

There are players who dream to do great things for their country and then there are icons that live those dreams. MS Dhoni and Kevin Pietersen are two youngsters who are already in the league of game's extra ordinary representatives. They have not only cemented their place in the hearts of fans and ledgers of chroniclers, they are poised to take their countries to newer heights. And now they take on each other for this fight for supremacy.

All of us would tune in to remaining ODIs between India and England hoping to see another royal bashing of the Englishmen. And we have our reasons too. It seems only one team is going to the ground with determination to win. What has made matters worse is that not only have England been comprehensively beaten, they looked hapless and out of sorts. But that's just the beginning and there can still be a 4-3 result against us. So hold yourself before you start even thinking of a 7-0 whitewash.

Indian one-day squad looks settled under their new captain. They have a bunch of new comers that have already learnt what it means to win. The likes of Gambhir, Raina, Yousuf, R P, and Munaf already look a part of team. They are no longer finding their feet in the biggest arena. And the real bonus is that seniors like Yuvraj, Sehwag and Zaheer are relatively young with a lot of cricket left in them and already established names in the game. Add to this the captain and we have a potent unit and worthy contenders for the top slot in team rankings.

England are on the road to recovery. Under a new captain they are eager to shed the tag of 'tourists' and be seen as real competitors. They have already defeated South Africa comprehensively in the home series. KP's stature in the English team is equal if not higher than MSD's. In Shah, Bell, Bopara, Patel and Anderson they have talented bunch of new comers. Collingwood and Flintoff provide stability to their middle order. And Pietersen is on a high, not only with his performance but his elevation as captain.

So while we still drool over Aussie drubbing, England-India is the contest that we should be focusing on. This is not about sledging or about off the field activities taking center stage. This series is about two captains that have redefined the way captaincy and cricket was looked at in their countries. If KP antics got all the suited gentlemen to stand up and applaud some 'agricultural' shots, MS gave his countrymen the new icon that is a worthy successor to fab four.

So get ready for some close finishing games as both teams try their best to out do each other in their fight for supremacy. India, England, South Africa and Sri Lanka are the teams to watch out for in international cricket now. As far as Australia is concerned, let them play Pakistan, West Indies and New Zealand. We have beaten Aussies. Let's get over it and blank the British now.